With one glance you can easily picture him powering through
a hole on a goal-line carry or busting one up the middle on third-and-short. So
it makes sense that Blount was trumpeted as a short-yardage expert when he was
acquired by New England in a trade with Tampa Bay during April's draft.

However, after watching video of his time with the
Buccaneers, it appears that much of what has been said and written about Blount
is full of myths and half-truths. At some point he may challenge Brandon Bolden
for the short-yardage job, but it appears the incumbent has the inside edge entering
training camp.

With Stevan Ridley locked into his role as the lead back,
Blount will need to carve out a role as a short-yardage expert. The only
problem is that this appears to be the weakest aspect of his game.

Watching video, Blount is a decent option on first and
second down, where he often bounces plays outside*, but is indecisive and slow
to the hole in short-yardage situations. One prime example came last year
during an Oct. 21 game against the New Orleans Saints when Blount was stuffed
on three consecutive plays from the 1-yard line (left guard, right guard, left
tackle) in a 35-28 loss.

In 2010, when he served as Tampa Bay's lead back and rushed
for 1,007 yards, Blount was replaced in short-yardage situations after failing
to convert on at least five critical plays (fourth-and-1 at the 2-yard line
against Atlanta; third-and-1 and second-and-goal against San Francisco; two
critical third downs hosting Atlanta). It's hard to imagine the Patriots having
much patience if Blount has similar struggles in New England.

Now, working in New England's system, where he will have a
better offensive line and the benefit of coach Ivan Fears, Blount could
develop the straight-ahead style needed to excel in short-yardage situations.
But he's far from a finished project and will need to show growth to push
Bolden out of a role.

(*Though his running style leads to a considerable amount of stuffs, Blount’s highlight reel is quite exciting. Once he finds some space, he can make guys miss and pick up big chunks of yards. His 18 rushes of 15 or more yards ranked third in the NFL in 2010. The only problem is that he is inconsistent.)

Blount is also inconsistent in pass blocking, has some
issues with ball security (six fumbles on 426 carries) and does not have great
hands.

There are also rumors that Blount
struggled to get out of bed and the team had to employ a car service to wake
him up and drive him to team facilities each morning. If true, can't see Bill Belichick putting up with that for
long.

For now, it appears that the New England depth chart remains
the same as it was prior to the Blount trade. Ridley's at the top, Vereen will
play the role that Danny Woodhead served in last season, and Bolden will be the
hammer -- assuming he's the player he was before his four-game suspension and not the one who struggled down the stretch.

But if Bolden continues to struggle, the competition for short-yardage situations will be wide open.